Weight Loss#10 – Triggers + Stop Cravings

What triggers a craving or desire for you to eat? Perhaps when your boss yells that you are behind. Perhaps when you come home tired and the kids are yelling at each other. People have triggers to eat, smoke, get angry, stressed or whatever. You can learn yours and get rid of them.

TOP MENTAL TRIGGERS

Stress Money Job/School

Rebellion Tired Past

Doubts Family Anger

Anxiety Bad memories Your special one

Take a few moments to go thru each one and see how it applies to you.

Example – Family

kids screaming a lot
wife works too much
have to do a lot of cleaning

Example – Job

not enough pay
wife has to travel for her work
can’t make a mistake

STRESS

Stress is a big trigger for most people. I have a Stress Workbook which you can use it for Stress.

EXERCISE

Look at the top triggers and see which apply to you. Then list a few specific events that add to the trigger and makes it stronger. Once you learn your triggers you can then start defusing them. Later posts will help you do this.

PHYSICAL TRIGGERS

Some people get strong cravings for sugar, bread or whatever. If I eat a cookie it can start cravings for more and more. These cravings are hard to stop. It probably is best to just stop eating whatever does this to you. Maybe some day you can eat them in small quantities. Look at your sugar intake. Read labels sometimes sugar hides.

THE JOURNAL

A good time to discover triggers is when they send you cravings. I want ice cream. I want cookies. I want more. Keep a Journal for awhile. Write down or mentally keep a record of your cravings.

Where: dorm roomWhen: after dinnerWhat was going on?: (Trigger) I had to study but I wanted to watch basketballWhat I did: I ate cookies first and then studied

Keep a journal for awhile when you have cravings and desires to eat. Look for your triggers and reflect on them. In the days ahead we will learn ways to diffuse triggers. Continue listening to audio tracks and read your Goalsheet.

STOP THE CRAVINGS & EXCUSES

Anytime anywhere we can be bombarded with cravings and desires to eat junk/overeat and excuses can just pop into our head and you can be eating something before you know what happened. Sometimes we win and don’t eat but sometimes we eat too much.

There is hope. We can stop these cravings. They are coming from our Inner Mind. The Self Hypnosis Tools will help us. Losing weight is a combination of staying motivated, stopping the cravings. and eating right. Once this happens losing weight becomes fast & easier and you wakeup excited about losing weight. This Chapter will help you stop the cravings.

ACTION PLAN FOR CRAVINGS

Last Chapter we looked at the triggers to eat. Today we look at how we can stop the cravings when they come up. It can take time. It’s taken us years to build up these cravings and it may take some time to stop them. Over a period of time they will get weaker and weaker until they are just thoughts occasionally popping into our head which we can easily brush aside. In the future they may surface again so watch out for them.

Make a Plan. Example a Weight Loss Plan for Holidays. Stay on food plan until Thanksgiving dinner and then eat as much as you want. Pick a couple of parties you are going to and eat whatever you want but no pig out. At Christmas dinner eat as much as you want. All other days stay on your food plan.

Watch Out For Cravings and Excuses. Be on alert for cravings, desires, excuses, whatever to eat sweets/overeat. Set up some system to alert you.

Having a Craving.

You have craving to eat cookies.

1.Say: STOP! STOP!

2. Ask: What’s going on?I am so tired and the kids are screaming for dinner. Or I am not going to do well on my Math exam.

3. Ask: What can I do?Listen to audio track. Or Say #1 below. Find what works for you.

Do the above when a craving or a desire to eat comes up. We want to find your triggers. Then try a number of ways to stop from eating. See below. Once you find a few actions you can turn it into a habit. Then you can stop asking the above questions if you want and just go right to it.

EXAMPLES OF ‘WHAT I CAN DO?

My favorite “Do I want to stay overweight or do I want to lose weight?”

By eating less I lose weight faster

Use a squeeze ball

How will I look when I lose ______

Eat a carrot, celery or some low calorie snack

See yourself on the scale next time you weigh yourself. Gain or lose?

Say: Being overweight sucks and name a few reasons

The SignPost – See future if stay overweight. See future at goal weight

Scream!

Go to another room

Say PEP Talk

Say: I follow my food plan today

Talk to someone

Go for a walk

Rub Belly

The purpose of eating is to nourish my body

Pickup a 10 pound bag of something. Carry it for a few seconds to feel how heavy 10 pounds of fat is

Set a special date or time when you can eat

Do I want to stay fat?

Will I hate myself if I eat?

Daydream about reaching your goal

Just Say NO!

Look into a mirror and see your body

Name a few benefits of losing weight

This is a great way to stop the cravings. You can come up with your own, modify, or use a different method altogether. What’s important is that you have an action plan for cravings and desires to eat.